Hank Silverberg, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – The country’s first all-electric taxi fleet could be coming to Arlington, but concern about the technology may hold it up.
A proposal from the Electric Vehicle Taxicab company wants to put a 40-car fleet of Nissan Leaf automobiles into operation in Arlington. The vehicles would include on-board iPads, wireless internet and car-charging stations around the county that would be available to everyone.
The Arlington Transportation Committee has already recommended against approving the all-electric fleet. Mary Hynes, the board’s chairman, says there is concern about the technology, including the range of the cabs – 75 to 120 miles with one charge.
“They have to charge for 30 to 45 minutes, so you have to take them off the street for that amount of time,” says Hynes.
That may defeat the goal of approving more cabs to get more service on the street, according to Hynes.
The cab company has offered to put charging stations around the county, which would be available to everyone for a fee.
There are 765 licensed cabs in Arlington right now. The full Arlington County board will vote on the taxi cab proposal Monday evening.
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